The Big Lebowski

The Coen Brothers have made their own rules in the movie business and have been clever enough to build a substantial appreciative audience. Their films aren't to everyone's taste, they are certainly anything but mainstream, but they are memorable. The Big Lebowski is the latest, unique Coen Brothers film.

Joel and Ethan Coen I would say poked their nose at some time into a middle American bowling alley and sharpened their pencils and their wits. From there we had this unlikely story about a soiled rug, toes, nihilists, the Dude and a missing rich wife.

The Big Lebowski is a series of hilarious, knowing character sketches tied together with bowling shoe laces. The plot isn't a deeply considered aspect of The Big Lebowski, in fact sometimes things don't make hell of a lot of sense, but the characters are spot on.

There are actually two Lebowskis in The Big Lebowski, the Dude and the rich, Big Lebowski.

The Big Lebowski (David Huddleston) is a fellow in a wheel chair who sports a huge ego, right wing politics and a young, ne'er do well trophy wife called Bunny (Tara Reid.) She owes money around town and some hoods go searching for her husband to get hold of the loot.

Unfortunately they (strangely) decide that another Lebowski, the Dude (Jeff Bridges) is the millionaire and front him for the money. The Dude then touches the rich Lebowski for damages and gets mixed up in a ransom scam. The Big Lebowski's daughter Maude (Julianne Moore), a non pregnant (it matters), surrealist artist, gets pretty cynical about Bunny and the money.

Jeff Bridges, the Dude, is a stoned, half drunk shambles of a man who has settled happily into a life of plenty of dope and lots of ten pin bowling. He's defines again the slob we have all met, and perhaps sometimes have been.

John Goodman plays his bowling mate Walter Sobchak. Walter is a big, fat fascist Vietnam vet. who would much rather be right rather than happy. The geniality of John Goodman's character in Roseanne is completely enveloped in Goodman's Walter. It's in an unforgettable performance.

Julianne Moore (recently the porn queen in Boogie Nights), adopting a posh, pseudo English accent, gives us a new, tightly realised character.

Steve Buscemi plays gentle Donny, the third member of the bowling team and when have you ever been able to ignore Buscemi when he's on the screen.

The Big Lebowski is a bit weird, slightly off key, and most importantly, an extremely observant film. If a big, lazy, shambling oaf of a man like The Dude can make a difference, then we all can